L. Crawfordmiksza et Dp. Schnurr, SEROEPIDEMIOLOGY OF NEW AIDS-ASSOCIATED ADENOVIRUSES AMONG THE SAN-FRANCISCO MENS HEALTH STUDY, Journal of medical virology, 50(3), 1996, pp. 230-236
A seroprevalence survey to recently proposed adenovirus (AV) serotypes
AV 48 and AV 49, isolated primarily from AIDS patients, was conducted
among the San Francisco Men's Health Study cohort. This cohort of hom
osexual, heterosexual, or bisexual HIV-seronegative and -seropositive
men from selected San Francisco census tracts has been studied since 1
984. The presence or absence of type-specific antibody in 628 serum sp
ecimens from 1989 was determined by microneutralization. Thirty of the
se subjects (26 positive and four negative) were studied longitudinall
y. Serum specimens taken at 6-month intervals from 1984 to 1993 were t
ested to characterize antibody response and to document the advent of
these new serotypes. Eight subjects were tested against five other AV
serotypes for comparison. AV 48 and AV 49 seroprevalence rates were si
gnificantly higher in HIV-seropositives, but infection was not limited
to the immunocompromised. Sexual preference was not a significant det
erminant for AV seroprevalence in HIV-seronegatives. However, the exte
nt and duration of the neutralizing antibody response was strikingly d
ifferent between homosexuals and heterosexuals: an endemic pattern of
continuous reexposure over the 9-year period was seen in 90% of 19 hom
osexuals, while five of six heterosexuals (83%) had an episodic patter
n of exposure with antibody decline to undetectable levels. These data
suggest that these viruses may be endemic in some part of the homosex
ual population and that sexual transmission may be the primary source
of continuous reexposure. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.